features of traditional african system of government

Against this backdrop, where is African governance headed? Prominent among these Sudanic states was the Soninke Kingdom of Ancient Ghana. We do not yet know whether such institutions will consistently emerge, starting with relatively well-governed states, such as Ghana or Senegal, as a result of repeated, successful alternations of power; or whether they will only occur when Africas political systems burst apart and are reconfigured. To illustrate, when there are 2.2 billion Africans, 50% of whom live in cities, how will those cities (and surrounding countryside) be governed? African states, along with Asian, Middle Eastern, and even European governments, have all been affected. MyHoover delivers a personalized experience atHoover.org. Its ability to influence policy is limited in large part because of its institutional detachment from the state and because of its poverty and lack of capacity to participate in the political process. The long-term, global pushback by the leading authoritarian powers against liberal governance norms has consequences in Africa and other regions as governments directly act to close the space for civil society to operate. One snapshot by the influential Mo Ibrahim index of African Governance noted in 2015 that overall governance progress in Africa is stalling, and decided not to award a leadership award that year. Both can be identified as forms of governance. Recent developments add further complications to the region: (a) the collapse of Libya after 2011, spreading large quantities of arms and trained fighters across the broader Sahel region; (b) the gradual toll of desertification placing severe pressure on traditional herder/farmer relationships in places like Sudan and Nigeria; and, (c) the proliferation of local IS or Al Qaeda franchises in remote, under-governed spaces. Printed from Oxford Research Encyclopedias, Politics. Integration of traditional and modern governance systems in Africa. Aristotle was the first to define three principal types of government systems in the fourth century B.C. The customary structures of governance of traditional leadership were put aside or transformed. Some regimes seem resilient because of their apparent staying power but actually have a narrow base of (typically ethnic or regional) support. In many cases, the invented chieftaincies were unsuccessful in displacing the consensus-based governance structures (Gartrell, 1983; Uwazie, 1994). States would be more effective in reforming the traditional judicial system if they recognized them rather than neglecting them, as often is the case. Uneven access to public services, such as educational, health, and communication services, and the disproportionately high poverty rates in the traditional sector are manifestations of the sectors marginalization. Abstract. Hindrance to democratization: Perhaps among the most important challenges institutional fragmentation poses is to the process of democratization. The imperative for inclusion raises many questions: should the priority be to achieve inclusion of diverse elites, of ethnic and confessional constituencies, of a sample of grass roots opinion leaders? However, they do not have custodianship of land and they generally do not dispense justice on their own. In the thankfully rare cases where national governance breaks down completelySouth Sudan, Somalia, CARits absence is an invitation to every ethnic or geographic community to fend for itselfa classic security dilemma. Freedom Houses ratings see a pattern of decline since 2005 and note that 10 out of 25 countries (worldwide) with declining ratings are in Africa. These include macro variables such as educational access (especially for women), climate change impact and mitigation, development and income growth rates, demographic trends, internet access, urbanization rates, and conflict events. Rather, they are conveners of assemblies of elders or lower level chiefs who deliberate on settlement of disputes. Figure 1 captures this turn to authoritarianism in postindependence Africa. The result is transitory resilience of the regime, but shaky political stability, declining cohesion, and eventual conflict or violent change. Womens inequality in the traditional system is related, at least in part, to age- and gender-based divisions of labor characterizing traditional economic systems. Its marginalization, in turn, impedes the transformation of the traditional sector, thus extending the fragmentation of institutions. PDF African Traditional Justice Systems Francis Kariuki* 1.1 Introduction For example, is it more effective to negotiate a power-sharing pact among key parties and social groups (as in Kenya) or is there possible merit in a periodic national dialogue to address issues that risk triggering conflict? Obstruction of nation-building: Nation-building entails a process of integrating different segments of the citizenry to form a community of citizens under shared institutions. The parallel institutional systems often complement each other in the continents contemporary governance. By Sulayman Sanneh Date: September 10th, 2021. fIntroduction Africa is a vast and . Differences and Similarities Between a Democracy and a Republic In general, decentralized political systems, which are often elder-based with group leadership, have received little attention, even though these systems are widespread and have the institutions of judicial systems and mechanisms of conflict resolution and allocation of resources, like the institutions of the centralized systems. Using a second conflict lens, the number of non-state conflicts has increased dramatically in recent years, peaking in 2017 with 50 non-state conflicts, compared to 24 in 2011. PDF The role and importance of the institution of traditional leadership in Ehret 2002 emphasizes the diversity and long history of precolonial social and political formations, whereas Curtin, et al. We know a good deal about what Africans want and demand from their governments from public opinion surveys by Afrobarometer. Enlightened leaders face a more complex version of the same challenge: how to find and mobilize the resources for broad-based inclusiveness? Perhaps one of the most serious shared weakness relates to gender relations. "Law" in traditional Africa includes enforceable traditions, customs, and laws. One common feature is recognition of customary property rights laws, especially that of land. Chiefs administer land and people, contribute to the creation of rules that regulate the lives of those under their jurisdiction, and are called on to solve disputes among their subjects. Such chiefs also have rather limited powers. What Are the Weaknesses of Traditional Security Systems? The Role and Significance of Traditional Leadership in South African A Sociology of Education for Africa . Most of the states that had attempted to abolish chieftaincy have retracted the abolitionist decrees and reinstated chiefs. What sets Hoover apart from all other policy organizations is its status as a center of scholarly excellence, its locus as a forum of scholarly discussion of public policy, and its ability to bring the conclusions of this scholarship to a public audience. 15 Facts on African Religions The Interfaith Observer PDF Structure of Government - EOLSS But it also reflects the impact of Arab, Russian, Chinese, Indian, European and U.S. vectors of influence which project their differences into African societies. The geography of South Africa is vast scrubland in the interior, the Namib Desert in the northwest, and tropics in the southeast. The introduction of alien economic and political systems by the colonial state relegated Africas precolonial formal institutions to the sphere of informality, although they continued to operate in modified forms, in part due to the indirect rule system of colonialism and other forms of reliance by colonial states on African institutions of governance to govern their colonies. The initial constitutions and legal systems were derived from the terminal colonial era. This situation supported an external orientation in African politics in which Cold War reference points and former colonial relationships assured that African governments often developed only a limited sense of connection to their own societies. Such a consensus-building mechanism can help resolve many of the conflicts related to diversity management and nation-building. The first type is rights-based legitimacy deriving from rule of law, periodic elections, and alternation of political power, the kind generally supported by western and some African governments such as Ghana and Senegal. A second attribute is the participatory decision-making system. Certain offences were regarded as serious offences. This principle is particularly relevant for diversity management, nation-building, and democratization in contemporary Africa. Comparing Ethiopia and Kenya, for example, shows that adherents to the traditional institutional system is greater in Ethiopia than in Kenya, where the ratio of the population operating in the traditional economic system is smaller and the penetration of the capitalist economic system in rural areas is deeper. Problems and Purpose. African Style Democracy? - Public Seminar It may be useful to recall that historical kingships or dynasties were the common form of rule in Europe, India, China until modern times, and still is the predominant form of rule on the Arabian Peninsula. Safeguarding womens rights thus becomes hard without transforming the economic system under which they operate. Womens access to property rights is also limited, as they are often denied the right of access to inheritance as well as equal division of property in cases of divorce. Large states and those with complex ethnic and geographic featurese.g., the DRC, Nigeria, Uganda, the Sudans, Ethiopiamay be especially prone to such multi-sourced violence. Societal conflicts: Institutional dichotomy often entails incompatibility between the systems. These dynamics often lead to increased state fragility or the re-authoritarianization of once more participatory governance systems.12 The trend is sometimes, ironically, promoted by western firms and governments more interested in commercial access and getting along with existing governments than with durable political and economic development. Authority in this system was shared or distributed to more people within the community. Decision making is generally participatory and often consensus-based. The usual plethora of bour- Extensive survey research is required to estimate the size of adherents to traditional institutions. Tribe Versus Ethnic Group. example of a traditional African political system. An analytical study and impact of colonialism on pre-colonial centralized and decentralized African Traditional and Political Systems. Second, the levels of direct battle deaths from these events is relatively low when compared with far higher levels in the wars of the Middle East. Indigenous education is a process of passing the inherited knowledge, skills, cultural traditions norms and values of the tribe, among the tribal member from one generation to another Mushi (2009). The selection, however, is often from the children of a chief. The balance of power between official and non-official actors will likely shift, as networked activists assert their ability to organize and take to the streets on behalf of diverse causes. This chapter examines traditional leadership within the context of the emerging constitutional democracy in Ghana. Beyond the traditional sector, traditional institutions also have important attributes that can benefit formal institutions. An election bound to be held in the year 2019 will unveil the new . Ideally, African nations will benefit when civil society respects the states role (as well as the other way around); rather than one-sided advocacy, both sides should strive to create a space for debate in order to legitimize tolerance of multiple views in society. You could not be signed in, please check and try again. Institutional systems emanate from the broader economic and political systems, although they also affect the performance of the economic and political systems. Features Of Traditional Government Administration | Bartleby Challenges confronting the institution of chieftaincy have continued from the colonial era into recent times. Access to Justice In Sub-Saharan Africa: Role of Traditional and Yet, the traditional judicial system in most cases operates outside of the states institutional framework. They succeed when there are political conditions that permit a broad coalition to impose pluralist political institutions and limits and restraints on ruling elites.20 Thus, resilience of both state and society may hinge in the end on the rule of law replacing the rule of men. The guiding principle behind these two attributes is that conflict is a societal problem and that resolving conflict requires societal engagement. As institutional scholars state, institutional incompatibility leads to societal conflicts by projecting different laws governing societal interactions (Eisenstadt, 1968; Helmke & Levitsky, 2004; March & Olsen, 1984; North, 1990; Olsen, 2007). Governance also has an important regional dimension relating to the institutional structures and norms that guide a regions approach to challenges and that help shape its political culture.1 This is especially relevant in looking at Africas place in the emerging world since this large region consists of 54 statesclose to 25% of the U.N.s membershipand includes the largest number of landlocked states of any region, factors that dramatically affect the political environment in which leaders make choices. African governance trends were transformed by the geopolitical changes that came with the end of the Cold War. Executive, legislative, and judicial functions are generally attributed by most modern African constitutions to presidents and prime ministers, parliaments, and modern judiciaries. On the one hand, traditional institutions are highly relevant and indispensable, although there are arguments to the contrary (see Mengisteab & Hagg [2017] for a summary of such arguments). Government: A Multifarious Concept 1.2. Additionally, the Guurti is charged with resolving conflicts in the country using traditional conflict resolution mechanisms. Rather, they often rely on voluntary compliance, although they also apply some soft power to discourage noncompliance by members with customary laws. Legal norms are an integral part of the discussion about inclusivity since they affect every aspect of economic and personal life; this poses a critical question over whether individual rights or group rights take precedence in the normative hierarchy. However, their participation in the electoral process has not enabled them to influence policy, protect their customary land rights, and secure access to public services that would help them overcome their deprivation. The question then becomes, how to be inclusive?19 A number of African states have decentralized their political decision-making systems and moved to share or delegate authority from the center to provincial or local levels. In the past decade, traditional security systems utilized in commercial or government facilities have consisted of a few basic elements: a well-trained personnel, a CCTV system, and some kind of access control system. Some of these conflicts are, in reality, low-tech, sporadic skirmishes and armed attacks. This discussion leads to an analysis of African conflict trends to help identify the most conflict-burdened sub-regions and to highlight the intimate link between governance and conflict patterns. Issues of corruption and transparency are likely to become driving themes in African politics. Subsequent to the colonial experience, traditional institutions may be considered to be informal institutions in the sense that they are often not sanctioned by the state. Africas economic systems range from a modestly advanced capitalist system, symbolized by modern banking and stock markets, to traditional economic systems, represented by subsistent peasant and pastoral systems. Because these governmental institutions reject the indigenous political systems on which African society was built, they have generally failed to bring political . Government and the Political System 2.1. This fragmentation is also unlikely to go away anytime soon on its own. Ndlela (2007: 34) confirms that traditional leaders continue to enjoy their role and recognition in the new dispensation, just like in other African states; and Good (2002: 3) argues that the system of traditional leadership in Botswana exists parallel to the democratic system of government and the challenge is of forging unity. Perhaps a more realistic transitional approach would be to reconcile the parallel institutions while simultaneously pursuing policies that transform traditional economic systems. In West Africa, a griot is a praise singer or poet who possesses a repository of oral tradition passed down from generation to generation. The political systems of most African nations are based on forms of government put in place by colonial authorities during the era of European rule. Finally, the chapter considers the future of the institution against the background of the many issues and challenges considered. While this attribute of the traditional system may not be practical at the national level, it can be viable at local levels and help promote democratic values. Governments that rely on foreign counterparts and foreign investment in natural resources for a major portion of their budgetsrather than on domestic taxationare likely to have weaker connections to citizens and domestic social groups. Nation, Tribe and Ethnic Group in Africa | Cultural Survival African Political Systems - Wikipedia Another category of chiefs is those who theoretically are subject to selection by the community. Since institutional fragmentation is a major obstacle to nation-building and democratization, it is imperative that African countries address it and forge institutional harmony. Posted: 12 May 2011. Another issue that needs some clarification is the neglect by the literature of the traditional institutions of the political systems without centralized authority structures. 20-27, at p. 21; Carey N. Vicenti 'The re-emergence of tribal society and traditional justice systems' Judicature, Vol. Similarities between Democratic and Authoritarian Government. Another layer represents the societal norms and customs that differ along various cultural traits. Analysis here is thus limited to traditional authority systems under the postcolonial experience. Invented chiefs and state-paid elders: These were chiefs imposed by the colonial state on decentralized communities without centralized authority systems. Act,12 the African system of governance was changed and transformed, and new structures were put in place of old ones.13 Under the Union of South Africa, the Gov- Many of the chieftaincy systems, such as those in much of South Africa, the Asantehene of the Ashanti of Ghana, the Tswana of Botswana, and the Busoga of Uganda seem to fall within this category. The rise of non-Western centers of power and the return of global polarization among major powers reduce the presence and weight of western influence. As a result, it becomes highly complex to analyze their roles and structures without specifying the time frame. This theme, which is further developed below, is especially critical bearing in mind that Africa is the worlds most ethnically complex region, home to 20 of the worlds most diverse countries in terms of ethnic composition.8. South Africa: Introduction >> globalEDGE: Your source for Global A Functional Approach to define Government 2. (PDF) INDIGENOUS AFRICAN POLITICAL SYSTEMS - Academia.edu Often women are excluded from participation in decision making, especially in patrilineal social systems. As Legesse (1973, 2000) notes, the fundamental principles that guide the consensus-based (decentralized) authority systems include curbing the concentration of power in an institution or a person and averting the emergence of a rigid hierarchy. The first objective of the article is to shed light on the socioeconomic foundations for the resilience of Africas traditional institutions. This is in part because the role of traditional leaders has changed over time. As a result, customary law, which often is not recognized by the state or is recognized only when it does not contradict the constitution, does not protect communities from possible transgressions by the state. The participatory and consensus-based system of conflict resolution can also govern inter-party politics and curtail the frequent post-election conflicts that erupt in many African countries. The key . That is, each society had a set of rules, laws, and traditions, sometimes called customs, that established how the people would live together peacefully as part of larger group. Furthermore, for generations, Africans were taught the Western notion of the tribe as .